Brought to you by Seahorse magazine, Scuttlebutt Europe is a digest of sailing news and opinions, regatta results, new boat and gear information and letters from sailors -- with a European emphasis. Contributions welcome, send to

Sail Melbourne International On the first day of 2018 Sail Melbourne International, Melbourne's weather presented itself from a challenging side with the day starting out in rainy, windy and ever-changing conditions, requiring a lot of patience from sailors and race management alike.

But while zombie cyclone sitting over Melbourne led to major disruptions in other areas of the city, it did not stop the sailors from getting in some high-calibre racing action on Port Phillip.

And it certainly did not stop Australian Sailing Team's experienced Olympic medallist sailors and World #1 Mat Belcher (QLD) and Will Ryan (QLD), who kick-started the competition successfully with two bullets and taking the lead in the men's 470.

After day one of racing, the Australians are leading the 470 fleet ahead of the Japanese crew of Daichi Takayama and Kimihiko Imamura in second (2,3) and with Spanish 2018 World Championships bronze medallists Jordi Xammar Hernandez and Nicolás Rodrigues Garcí-Paz in third (5, 2).

The Olympic 470 class features one of the most international events of the regatta, with the fleet including sailors from seven countries.

Racing in the mixed fleet with the men are Germany's top women's 470 sailors Frederike Loewe and Anna Markfort, who sit on equal points with Australian Sailing Squad's Nia Jerwood (WA) and Monique de Vries (WA), who won Sail Sydney last week. Both crews had a first and second in the two races of the day.

A rematch from Sail Sydney is also on in Sail Melbourne's Finn class with current World #1 and winner of Sail Sydney Nicholas Heiner (NED) winning both races of the day. Heiner was chased by Rio 2016 Olympic champion Giles Scott (GBR), who finished second and fourth as well as Britain's Ben Cornish, who posted a fifth and third. Australia Sailing Team's Rio Olympian Jake Lilley (QLD) moves into fourth place after a third and fifth.

Royal Brighton Yacht Club will be hosting the 2019 Finn Gold Cup, the World Championships of the Finn class in December next year, and the international fleet is using the event to test the waters.

Racing was cancelled earlier in the day for the skiff sailors in the 49er, 49erFX and 29er classes as well as for the para-sailing classes.

Racing continues tomorrow, Friday, 14 December with weather conditions being closely monitored by race management and additional races scheduled in those events that did not race today. On Friday, also the OK Dinghy and WAZSP will join the action.

Instructions Make the ginger syrup: Combine sliced ginger, sugar, and 1 cup water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Strain out ginger solids and discard, reserving syrup in an airtight container.

Divide chopped pear between two 12 oz. tall glasses; muddle in each glass with a wooden muddler. Pour 2 oz. vodka over the pears in each glass, and fill with ice. Add 1/2 oz. ginger syrup and 1/2 oz. lemon juice to each glass, stir to combine, and finish with ginger ale to top.

This recipe makes two. Best to share, but OK by me if you down them both...

Tell us about YOUR favorite bar (you can even add to our finalist list of 20)

American Magic selects Pensacola for winter training base New York Yacht Club American Magic, U.S. Challenger for the 36th America's Cup, today announced that the Port of Pensacola will serve as the team's winter training base in late 2018 and early 2019.

Until warmer weather returns to the team's primary training location in Newport, Rhode Island, over a hundred American Magic personnel will sail and support the Mule, the team's advanced 38-foot test boat, on the sunny waters of Pensacola Bay. American Magic's presence represents the first time an America's Cup syndicate has trained on the Gulf Coast of Florida since 1970.

American Magic's first exposure to Pensacola came during July 2018, when Team Principal and CEO Hap Fauth (Naples, Fla.) and team sailors Bora Gulari (Detroit, Mich.) and Caleb Paine (San Diego, Calif.) gave an America's Cup presentation to over five hundred junior sailors, coaches and families at the Optimist U.S. National Championship hosted by Pensacola Yacht Club.

"We're excited and grateful that Pensacola Yacht Club and the local sailing community have embraced American Magic and extended their hospitality since our first visit," said Hutchinson, a sixteen-time sailing world champion. "Pensacola Bay is a world-class sailing venue, and hopefully our time here will help raise awareness of just how great it is to race and train in this region of the U.S."

"Having American Magic training here for the winter not only provides the Port of Pensacola with a unique new customer, but shines a worldwide spotlight on the amazing natural sailing venue that is Pensacola Bay," said Port Director Amy Miller. "Our hope is that we can work with tourism officials and our local sailing community to leverage this exposure and attract more training and competition venue opportunities in the future."

The Port of Pensacola features world-class facilities and a convenient location. Port assets include a wide and deep channel, thousands of feet of dockage, extensive indoor and outdoor storage, direct rail access, a full range of cargo handling equipment and an experienced staff.

Seahorse for the Holidays Our friends at Seahorse and running a fantastic offer this December and don't want Scuttlebutt Europe subscribers to miss out.

For a limited period on they are offering their best available price on a Seahorse subscription and have also bundled in a 'great night in on them' with a free rental copy of Coyote - the excellent Mike Plant story (it's one not to be missed).

Franck Cammas to add his skills and experience to Oman Sail campaigns in 2019 Cammas will also join the race squads during the 2019 season as Oman Sail looks to build on its successful global sailing programme.

Regarded as one of the highest-profile sailors of his generation, Cammas, 45, has a glowing racing CV which includes victories in the Volvo Ocean Race, Tour de France a la Voile, Transat Jacques Vabre, Route du Rhum and Solitaire du Figaro, as well as six Orma multihull championships, many supported by the French company Groupama.

He will co-ordinate Oman Sail's activities in France through his company Franck Cammas Racing and skipper a Diam 24 during the season.

Oman Sail's 2019 programme will prove a good fit for his experience and expertise as it includes both Diam 24 multihull and Figaro campaigns.

Cammas will join regular members of the Oman Sail team, including Ali Al Balushi and Hussein Al Jabri among others, on the Diam project which will feature three campaigns – one an all-female team – culminating in the Tour Voile next July. Racing for the Diam teams kicks-off in February with EFG Sailing Arabia – The Tour in Oman, which will include a fourth all-Omani squad.

Oman Sail has recently been able to celebrate winning the inaugural World Diam Tour title, and finishing a competitive runner-up in the global Extreme Sailing Series, in which Oman Sail teams share top spot as the most successful in the competition.

The ongoing improvement of young Omani sailors from Oman Sail's four schools and youth squad was also recognised this year when Oman was awarded a place at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, a significant step towards the long-term ambition of qualifying for the Olympic sailing event.

Oman Sail has also competed offshore in the Class 40 fleet this year, and still holds the outright Round Britain and Ireland Race record set in 2014 by the 70-foot Musandam-Oman Sail trimaran.

The in-build Baltic 142 will be the first superyacht to feature a DSS foil…

At the end of 2017, Baltic Yachts announced the construction of carbon composite Baltic 142 custom sloop, named Canova. Commissioned by a repeat Baltic client, the project will be first superyacht to be equipped with a Dynamic Stability System (DSS) foil that. With the casing for the foil now installed, Baltic is able to reveal more about the high level of technology that is being featured on the project.

Once launched, Canova will be able to deploy its 29ft 6in-long athwartships DSS foil at the touch of a button, which will create lift to dramatically reduce heel, increase speed, dampen pitching and enhance comfort. Designing and fitting the case, through which the foil will move, has been a major engineering challenge for Baltic, naval architect Farr Yacht Design and composite engineers Gurit, not least because the carbon structure runs directly beneath the owner's berth amidships.

The foil itself is designed to be deployed while the yacht is sailing at speed, so it runs on four sets of highly specialised bearings designed by America's Cup engineers at BAR Technologies who are currently working on Ben Ainslie's 2021 Cup campaign. To cope with the size of the foil and the projected 140-tonne upward load on the leeward bearings when it is being deployed, an electric Harken captive winch, with a pull capacity of 20 tonnes, will be installed. This will make the operation of the DSS foil a safe, press-button process no matter what the conditions.

Don't miss the unique opportunity to visit the emblematic masted boats in the heart ofHall 1: the Bénéteau FIRST 18, the Northman MAXUS 26, as well as the Figaro 1 and the Sunfast 3600. No need for an appointment, no need for a specific purchase project, just come whenever you want: We promise you that no one will ask you for your boat licence or your skipper's CV!

Perini Navi announces the sale of the second 42-meter sailing yacht in the E-volution line.

The new 42m S/Y, the first unit in the GTS series, has been sold to an expert European owner and will be delivered in spring 2021.

Based on the platform developed for the first 42-meter E-volution, with a concept and styling by Perini Navi and naval architecture by Reichel Pugh, this second unit combines aluminium and carbon to deliver superior performance.

Several aspects of the naval architecture have been modified, including the keel and the sail plan. The mast has been increased to "Panamax height" (62.5 meters) and the keel extended to a maximum depth of 7.40 meters. The new sail plan features a square top mainsail, an extended boom and a 4-meter bowsprit to maximise the sail surface. To improve performance still further, a series of changes have also been made to significantly reduce the displacement. They include work on the deck house and the use of carbon for various fittings, as well as the optimisation of the propulsion system and structural features.

The new design combines the characteristics of the 42m E-volution series, including clean lines, ample space and a big stern platform, with a more streamlined deck house as requested by the owner.

The interior design will be by Barcelona-based firm GCA jointly with Perini Navi.

Tiwal has unveiled a 2.8m long, super lightweight and compact inflatable sailing dinghy which can be ready to sail in 15 minutes.

Designed and developed by Tiwal's Marion Excoffon, the 40kg single-handed Tiwal 2 can be assembled in 15 minutes and in five stages: hull inflation, inserting the daggerboard well, installing the rig, the appendages and then finished off with the pump.

"I wanted the Tiwal 2 to be a companion for the whole family. I imagined an ultra-simple boat that goes to basics. It is at the same time a proper sailing boat and a great toy to play on," explained Marion, who is at the forefront of the family-fun French business.

The aluminium dinghy is equipped with a North Sails loose-footed 5.6sqm Dacron sail, five-part carbon mast C50 and a drop-stitch hull that is very stiff when fully inflated to a high pressure. Its inflatable wings also offer maximum comfort and reassurance for sailors in established wind conditions.

With a V-shaped hull and a daggerboard, going upwind is easy and the Tiwal 2 will even plane.

The boat comes in two compact bags easily stowed in a locker. Its design facilitates assembly and launching from the deck of a larger vessel. The sail furls around the mast, allowing for very quick deployment or stowage.

Tiwal 2 will be on display during the boot Düsseldorf boat show from January 19-27 2019.

As winter's grip tightens across Scandinavia, Baltic Yachts' new 26-metre composite sailing yacht Mini Y recently departed Jakobstad in Finland on her maiden voyage in search of warmer climes with Southampton in the UK as her first port of call.

Mini Y was built using an E-Glass outer skin, carbon fibre inner and a foam core. The result is a spacious interior and a light ship trim displacement of just 50 tonnes. The owner challenged Baltic with fitting the yacht with a 'silent operation mode' which lead to the yacht being equipped with a battery bank consisting of 30 Lithium-ion batteries. This will allow Mini Y to stay at anchor or operate in near silence for extended periods.

Designed for short-handed cruising, Mini Y comes with a lifting keel and a surprisingly powerful rig that is as effective as it is easy to handle.

Hylas Yachts is proud to introduce the H48 to sailors around the world, and to enhance and continue its legendary reputation for building offshore performance cruising yachts that appeal to blue water sailors. Hylas worked with esteemed designer Bill Dixon of Dixon Yacht Design to achieve this mix of comfort, style, and utility in a semi-customblue water cruising yacht under 50 feet LOA.

Designed to appeal to couples and families who wish to answer the siren call of true offshore sailing or to give accomplished yachtsmen a way to upgrade their experience, the new H48 offers a spacious and comfortable evolution fromHylas's legacy models while taking sailing simplicity to a new level.

Dixon's design stays true to the builder's mission to create semi-customocean-ready cruising boats with a focus on simple sailing and interior comfort. "The H48 uses some elements from the proven quiver of Hylas attributes, including true oceangoing capability, the center cockpit, the large windows, and the swim platform," Dixon says. "But this model changes the flow on board, whether the owners and guests are moving about the spacious decks or relaxing together in the bright saloon, making the most of the onboard volume while factoring in the need for human-size spaces." Hylas Yachts and Dixon also worked together on the recently introduced design for the new H57 of which a number have already been sold off-plan.

After her world premiere at the Newport International Boat Show and the US Sailboat Show - Annapolis, Hylas H48 is ready to kick-off the new year in Florida at the Miami Int'l Boat Show

Letters To The Editor - Letters are limited to 350 words. No personal attacks are permitted. We do require your name but your email address will not be published without your permission.

* From: Virginia Crowell Jones

This event took place last summer on the Vineyard and I am sending it to acquaint you with the possibilities of running zero waste events, to acquaint you with Sail Martha's Vineyard's work, and to show you various bits of the island life.

Several things to note: you can see some gorgeous boats including BRILLIANT, Big TI and of course local boats such as CHARLOTTE and JUNO. See what other good old classics you know! You can see local farms, and you can see local fishermen. Brock Callen, now retired from SMV, agreed with me that there is a bit too much driving around but the food had to be delivered and the carbon miles were low. My younger grandson was driving the Bobcat (a job he loves) but he's also sailed in SMV's amazing programs for island kids as did my elder grandson who, this past summer actually got to sail on BRILLIANT for a week in June. The organization is all about giving people of all ages the chance to get out on the water in many different ways and to learn about the maritime environment.

Look Sail Martha's Vineyard up on line and you'll find out about some very special programs for kids (and adults) such as learning to sail, water safety, rowing, wind surfing, racing, captain's courses, navigation and seamanship, plus everything else that the group does. Every island kid is eligible to learn to sail in a 2 week course when they turn 8, for a nominally priced family membership and then can go on to more advanced courses. Island women and the Charter School kids row in the gigs, there is a dinner/lecture series in the winter and there are a lot more activities as well.

This thoroughbred sailing yacht continues to turn heads and offer only transom views. Q-Class yachts offer fun racing for a bunch of friends in boats that look gorgeous - at the dock or on the water - with performance that lives up to looks.

There were no costs spared in building this magnificent racer, from her design and construction to the addition of high tech equipment. During the winter of 2016, she was intensively prepared for racing. She now has a stable heading in any wind and easily hydroplanes in 10 knots.

From 1999 this Farr 65 example is currently coded to MCA CAT 2 but the yacht can also be coded to comply to Cat O. Professionally managed with all systems regularly maintained the yacht is very much a going concern

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